BG (RET) ANNE MACDONALD ENDS HER SUCCESSFUL TENURE AT THE U.S. ARMY WOMEN’S FOUNDATION
LTG (Ret) Kathleen Gainey, Former Asst Secretary Sue Fulton Take Leadership Roles
WASHINGTON, DC, October 31, 2024 – The U.S. Army Women’s Foundation announced at the 2024 AUSA
Conference that, after eight years of extraordinary service as its President, Brigadier General (retired) Anne Macdonald
is stepping down. Lieutenant General (retired) Kathleen Gainey has been named President, and former Assistant
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Brenda S. “Sue” Fulton has been named Executive Director.
Anne Macdonald became President of the Army Women’s Foundation in 2016. Under her leadership, she has
improved the organization’s infrastructure, strengthened its financial solvency, and institutionalized and enhanced its
main public events: the annual Leadership Symposium at the AUSA conference, the annual induction of women into
the Hall of Fame, and the presentation of scholarships to Army women and their descendants. Macdonald graduated from
West Point in 1980 in the first gender-integrated class and served 31 years in the Army as an aviator. Anne is a
certified executive coach and seminar facilitator and served as a Senior Mentor for the Army War College.
Kathleen Gainey retired in 2013, after 35 years as an Army soldier. She graduated from Old Dominion University
and is among the first two female ROTC graduates promoted to flag officer. As a multi-functional logistician, Kathy
commanded at the battalion, brigade, and both one- and two-star component command levels, including several
combat deployments; and served in multiple Army and Joint staff and policy positions on the Army and Joint Staffs,
Defense Logistics Agency, and US Transportation Command. Kathy comes to AWF with a proven record of excellence
in mentoring, team-building, people empowerment, and cross-functional problem-solving. She will leverage her
experiences to provide strategic leadership, foster participative governance, maintain fiscal responsibility, and build
upon AWF’s solid foundation established by Anne Macdonald.
Brenda S. “Sue” Fulton most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at
the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she oversaw the largest public outreach in the VA’s history after the passage of
the PACT Act. Like Anne Macdonald, Fulton graduated from West Point in 1980, in the first class to admit women. She
served as a platoon leader, staff officer, and company commander in Germany before honorable discharge at the rank
of Captain. She advocated for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and provided counsel to Army leaders on removing
the combat exclusion role and integrating women in combat arms. She will be responsible for the implementation of
the Board’s direction and the accomplishment of the mission of the Foundation.
ABOUT THE U.S. ARMY WOMEN’S FOUNDATION – Honoring, Empowering, and Connecting
Founded in 1969, the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation (formerly the U.S. Women’s Army Corps Museum Foundation)
is the premier volunteer military organization for educational excellence. The AWF is the national network for today’s
Army women and veterans, dedicated to honoring, empowering, and being a dynamic advocate for telling the history of
Army women. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote public interest in the Army by
recognizing and honoring the service of all U.S. Army women, past and present, and to support the Army Women’s
Museum. For more information, visit: www.awfdn.org.
